§ 88. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that bogus distress signals have been fired at sea off the Scottish coast as a result of which Scottish lifeboat men put to sea on quests which proved fruitless, thereby wasting time, energy and 62W fuel and depriving ships in genuine distress of their services; what inquiries he has made into these acts; and what action he is taking in the matter.
§ Mr. MarplesI know that on a number of occasions recently report of flares in the vicinity of Westray Firth have had the regrettable results described by the hon. Member. Further inquiries are being made and I hope that these will enable us to discover what lies behind the reports.